1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable information terminal equipped with camera which is applied to a portable television telephone and other general purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional portable information terminal with camera of this type is provided with a camera function unit which is arranged on an information terminal body, and a display unit is used as a finder in a photographing optical system of the camera function unit. In this manner, when the portable information terminal is equipped with the camera and used as a digital camera, it is desired that the portable information terminal has operability equal to that of a normal camera and consumes less electric power.
Further, in a portable information terminal with camera of this type, an information terminal body is equipped with a camera function unit, and a shutter button arranged in a photographing optical system of the camera function unit is arranged on the information terminal body. In this manner, when the portable information terminal is equipped with the camera, high operability equal to that of a normal camera and the operability of the camera when the portable information terminal is used as a portable information terminal are desirably compatible. In general, in order to secure the operability of the camera, it may be effective that the position of the shutter is arranged at a shoulder portion of a case.
Furthermore, as a portable information terminal with camera of this type, for example, devices disclosed in JP 8-22343 (1996) and JP 11-69214 (1999) are known. In particular, in the device disclosed in JP 11-69214 (1999), an information terminal is equipped with a camera function unit, and the information terminal body is designed to foldably pivot a pair of flat cases each having a display unit through a hinge portion, and the hinge portion has a photographing optical system of the camera function unit, having a lens opening in a direction perpendicular to the axial center of the hinge portion. In this case, when the portable information terminal is equipped with the camera, the photographing optical system of the camera must be attached to an end of the device body for the sake of a screen arrangement. For this reason, the hinge portion for folding the cases of the device is designed to form a lens opening for the optical system. In addition, since the lens opening can be headed in a free direction ranged to some extent, the cases can be switched from a folded state to open states of several steps, and the usage of the portable information terminal is designed in various modes.
However, a power for screen display must be switched on to perform photographing while the display unit of the portable information terminal is used as a finder. For this reason, a power consumption increases, and the portable information terminal can not be used for many hours. In addition, when a subject is photographed without using display finder, the photographing cannot be performed at a good camera angle.
Further, when the portable information terminal is operated as a portable information terminal, and when a shutter is arranged at the shoulder portion of the case, every camera photographing, the device must be changed in holding state such that the shutter operation can be easily performed, and a finger placed on the terminal operation button must be moved to the position of the shutter arranged at the shoulder of the case. This action is a considerable disadvantage to operability. In addition, when the display screen is used as a vertically long screen or a horizontally long screen, if a shutter release button is arranged at a convenient position, the operability is improved. Therefore, on the operations obtained when the portable information terminal is used as a camera and a portable information terminal, the shutter must be always located at a proper position where the shutter does not degrade the operability. However, the increase in the number of shutter release buttons must be avoided because the cost increases by increasing the number of parts and because the number of times of action that a user changes her/his finger position cannot be reduced by increasing the number of shutter release buttons.
Furthermore, when this portable information terminal equipped with camera is used in video recording, the display unit (liquid-crystal display unit) display, for a photographer, a subject image by the lens. Therefore, the subject person can not know the present camera angle. This is because the displayed image cannot be seen from the subject side.